wings
by doublehumpedcamel
Summary: all she ever wanted was to fly away; when Lyra leaves the nest she finds herself on a perilous journey that becomes about more than just having fun and instead about the fate of the region. on hold - note at the end of the third chapter
1. permission not required

_dear god, make me a bird, so I can fly far, far away from here_

Lyra stopped believing in asking for permission. The answer was always a sharp no; it was as if it was the only word they knew. Her parents were just as quick with that all-purposes two letter word when she had first asked to leave on a journey all those months ago. They'd not shown signs of changing their minds since; they expected her to be practical and understanding.

How could she be understanding towards their position when they were the furthest thing from understanding towards hers? They didn't want to lose their baby girl, she knew that much, but Lyra's dream of setting off on a journey was no secret. They'd even encouraged her when she was younger! Why give their daughter that false hope?

But how could they understand her position? They'd obviously never had dreams of their own before; if they had then they wouldn't have denied her the one thing she had wanted from the moment she could process information.

At sixteen, most teens left home for a few months to pursue any interests they might have in the field of pokemon. They'd join junior contests, attempt to breed species, intern at pokemon labs or centers, or take the gym challenge in the hopes of becoming a professional trainer.

The gym challenge was dangerous, and very few teens ever left for that sort of journey.

Lyra's parents weren't about to let her wander off into that dangerous environment. But she had wanted so badly to go on that journey; to see Johto without her parents.

During the weeks leading up to her sixteenth birthday, Lyra tried one last time to convince her parents to let her go. Already tired of her incessant asking, her father staunchly put a firm foot down.

"No, and that's the last we'll hear of it!" her father had barked, clearly annoyed.

"You've got so much school work to focus on, especially since you've only one more year before university." was her mother's way of saying, "But dear, it's so dangerous out there and you're oh so very small and fragile."

Lyra was not small and fragile, but she stopped pestering them after that, her hopes shattered. It didn't help that her closest friends Ethan and Kris had been allowed to go. Ethan was understanding about Lyra's situation, as his own parents had been very reluctant, but Kris had adopted a sort of haughty attitude around Lyra. It was as if she was suddenly more important than her best friend just because her parents were more accommodating to her dreams. Kris' attitude only got worse as she gained more and more badges and she had quickly gotten caught up in journey, forgetting to contact her friend to say hi now and then. Ethan, however, had remained the same friendly boy and tried hard to stay in touch, an effort Lyra appreciated greatly.

Lyra had finished her second to last year of schooling off quietly and did her work obediently while Ethan and Kris made their way around Johto. Her parents were in other regions most of the time (her mother in Sinnoh, working as a lead scientist at the Windworks; her father in Unova, a tradesman centered in Castellian), and with her friends away she was often left to her own devices.

It was the first week of a long break now, just a little over two months after Lyra had turned sixteen. Her parents were away once again for business, so she was at home, forced to find ways to occupy her time.

As New Bark was tiny and had little to do most days of the year, Lyra left her house in the early hours that morning with the intention of walking to Cherrygrove. It would only be a half hour walk, one she had made most mornings during the school year, but she still made sure to pack a great deal of money and her phone in the ratty canvas sack she'd thrown over her shoulder.

If it weren't for her rash nature, Lyra would have gone to Cherrygrove for a day of shopping and would have been home before dark, but that wasn't going to happen.

It was a spur of the moment decision; the window was open and there was nobody in sight. Lyra knew all about Professor Elm's ownership of rare pokemon (how could she not when they lived in the same tiny town?) so when she had peeked her head in the window of his lab home to say hello (like a friendly neighbor might) and seen those three pokeballs just sitting on the desk by the window, she'd known immediately that they weren't ordinary.

The result of the often spacey man's carelessness gave her achance to leave (she would have left earlier if she hadn't needed a trainer card to purchase a pokeball, but with no card she had no pokeballs and more importantly, no pokemon). Her parents weren't even in the region, and wouldn't realize she'd gone until she was at least a few towns away. Elm wasn't an organized man; he wouldn't notice the missing pokeball until much later in the day. Hell, he wouldn't even notice her absence from the town.

The girl's pigtailed head had suddenly swiveled, surveying the area for any possible witnesses, her big brown eyes wide with surprise and a sense of excitement.

Lyra stopped believing in asking for permission; she was making her own decisions now.

All it had taken was her quick hand darting in and out of the window frame. Lyra hadn't even bothered to check which one she picked, only that it contained a pokemon, before running off into the wooded area between New Bark and Cherrygrove (traveling along the road wouldn't have been a great idea and the young teen had enough sense to know that).

Lyra ran as thoughts and questions raced around in her mind in a garbled mess. The gravity of the crime she had just committed hit her head on and she was overcome with anxiety.

She was a thief! What would her parents think? Her friends?

But despite these worries, not once did she consider turning around to return the pokeball before its rightful owner could notice. She was headstrong and committed to a goal and wasn't about to chicken out.

Her heart was set.

Lyra's reliable wiry legs carried her away from her little town and through the overgrow, not stopping when twigs cut and whipped them. The worry slowly melted away and was replaced by excitement and the enjoyment of the adrenaline that pumped through her system.

Suddenly she was laughing as she ran along, only feeling an overwhelming happiness.

Running to and past Cherrygrove, she only stopped on Route 30 after ramming straight into the back of some poor stranger.

She was so caught up in her joy she'd failed to see the boy in the purple hoodie walking only a few feet in front of her. Her legs were unable to stop the inevitable collision that brought them both to the ground.

Her hat was knocked straight off her head and she fell to the ground, landing hard on her ass. Her tight grip kept her from letting the pokeball go though, and she cradled it to her chest in one hand.

Standing slowly, pokeball in the one hand, Lyra grimaced as she rubbed her poor butt with the other. Smiling sheepishly, Lyra looked up at the guy she had run into and opened her mouth to apologize, but it was quickly shut when they made eye contact and the smile fell away. She gulped, suddenly clutching the pokeball even tighter as her warm brown eyes met his angry gray ones, shadowed by a pair of furrowed red brows.

Great.

* * *

_____So I've definitely always wanted to write a fic revolving around the HGSS series. Hopefully it'll be serious even with the ridiculousness. This chapter is__ really short, so I'm so sorry about that! Hopefully everything will improve as it moves along._

_You've probably noticed that Lyra has a father. I thought it was a bit ridiculous that only the R/S/E characters had a father, so I went ahead and gave her one. (because I can just hand out parental figures like that) Her mother is a working woman, so she won't have any time to call about berries or money, which is super convenient._

_soulsilvershipping anyone? (I'm a fan too!)_

_If you review I will eat it up andloveyouforever. Let me know how it is and what I can improve on, yeah?_


	2. jacket thief

"She's staring at you, you know. You should talk to her."

Kris' voice cut through Ethan's mopey daydream and brought him back to the table at the little café in Ecruteak.

"What?"

"That girl, bet she likes you, been staring for the past ten minutes or so. You should talk to her, get her number. Might cheer you up. Who knows, she might find brooding guys attractive." Kris repeated, teasingly this time, while idly stirring her cup of coffee.

Ethan ignored her comment and turned around lazily to take a look the girl. Sure enough, she was looking his way. When she noticed him looking at her her cheeks flushed a deep scarlet and she quickly turned away. _Pretty_ he thought and a smile almost found its way to his face as he turned back around.

"Nah, she's cute though," he said to his blue haired friend, trying to convey his appreciation for her effort through the tiniest of smiles. Resting his head on the table, he refrained from letting out an obnoxious sigh. Twisting his cap so the beak was on the front and covered his face, Ethan closed his eyes.

As much as Ethan loved meeting new people (cute new people at that), his loss against gym leader Morty was hitting him hard, especially since it wasn't the first time. In the past three weeks Ethan had challenged Morty's gym four times and had only come close to beating the ghost type leader once.

He had been so close the first time; both had been on their last pokemon, and Marill had been one water gun away from a knock out, but when Morty ordered a hypnosis Marill fell and didn't wake up until they were at the Pokémon Center, long after it fainted during its slumber.

Ethan challenged the gym again after a few days of training; he only made it past Morty's second Haunter.

The third time he didn't even see that Haunter. The first one took both his Growlithe and Marill out easily.

Confidence nearly shattered at this point, he head into Mt. Mortar and trained for a week straight. When he emerged from the mountain his pokemon and the bond he shared with them had grown considerably, but still it was not enough to beat the ghost type leader.

He'd tried to stay upbeat, even after the most recent loss, but Kris knew he was in need of a friend and traveled back to Ecruteak as soon as she got the Mineral badge.

"Maybe you should just come with me to Olivine and Cianwood. You'll take Jasmine down easy peasy with Sarge! Those steel types'll have nothing on a Growlithe."

Her attempt was only met with a shrug and a grunt. "Mmm."

Rolling her eyes, she balled her left fist and sucker punched Ethan.

"_Hey!_" He jumped up, banging his knees on the table, rattling it and causing his empty glass to tip over. Other customers looked their way but Kris payed no attention to them.

"Please, I didn't even hit you hard! Stop being such a baby," she demanded as he rubbed his face.

"Ever the sympathetic friend," he retorted, grimacing, only getting a shrug in return.

"You're in a rut. You need a win to get out, and it has to be a big one. Don't hate just 'cause I'm right."

Ethan couldn't deny the truth in what she was saying, though he wished she had been a bit kinder about saying it. He wanted to think his other close female friend would have been nicer, but he knew Lyra better than that. It seemed both his female friends were rough and not very feminine about these things.

Clearly defeated (as Kris wasn't giving him a choice; he was going to come with her) he groaned and relented. "Fine. But I'm only coming with you because you'd drag me there by my eyelashes if I refuse!"

Kris shot him a playful wink as she got up to dispose of their trash. "We'll head out soon. Like, right now, so get your stuff together, maggot!" she ordered in a mock militaristic manner, joking in that stupid way only the best of friends do.

He couldn't help but laugh at that, suddenly feeling a lot better, and turned his cap back around. Now up for getting the number of that cute girl, Ethan turned around and to see if she was still there, but to his disappointment found she'd already gone.

"Damn."

Kris picked up on the small swear and grinned. "Told you to talk to her earlier! Your own damn fault you missed out on that. Your loss though, so whatever! Les' go!" she exclaimed before bolting out the door of the tiny establishment.

Groaning, he grabbed his backpack and stood, following his friend out the door. Traveling with Kris (even if only for a short while) would prove to be interesting.

* * *

"Watch where you're going, dumb ass." the stranger growled as he shoved past the brunette, bumping shoulders with her harshly as he stalked off towards Route 31.

_What an unpleasant cow!_ Lyra thought, her own brows furrowing.

"No need to be a douche! I was going to apologize, asshole." she hissed, annoyed; he had successfully destroyed the mood she was in.

The boy turned around instantly and marched up to her, frown even angrier than before.

As quickly as he destroyed her giddy mood he quickly fixed it; his frown was comical, and Lyra couldn't help but let out a bout of laughter as she doubled over, clutching his shoulder with her free hand to steady herself.

Clearly thrown off by this, the boy shook his head in an attempt to regain his angry sort of composure, roughly shoving her hand away.

"What're you laughing at?!" he demanded, his gray eyes stormy and serious. _She obviously doesn't take me seriously!_ he thought as he fumed visibly.

The brunette struggled to stand upright, giggles still escaping from her as she looked at him, taking in his peculiar appearance (though she was one to talk). His hair was a stark contrast to his gray eyes, though it matched the accents on his purple jacket perfectly, a fact which she found odd.

While she took in his appearance, he was doing the same with hers. Her rosy cheeks sickened him and her denim overall shorts seemed incredibly impractical. It seemed her image bugged him overall, but her ugly white hat did was the biggest annoyance. Its red bow was obviously too large and just aesthetically displeasing altogether. The pokeball in her hand did not escape his notice.

"Your eyebrows."

_What?_ he thought, a completely bewildered expression creeping its way onto his face. _Doesn't she have any priorities?_ he questioned, legitimately confused by that response. Her next statement did not help his confusion.

She elaborated. "Your eyebrows. You were frowning so hard. Have you ever seen yourself frown?"

"Wha-What?! No!" the redhead cried before changing the topic to something that didn't make him uncomfortable, "That pokeball! You must be a trainer; battle me! I'll teach you to insult someone like me!" he raged, fumbling for words in his fury.

Lyra was surprised by the sudden change in topic and crouched in a defensive stance.

"No way! I have no idea what skill level you are. You could have a level sixty Salamence for all I know! I refuse to battle you!" Lyra replied, the volume of her words increasing as she grew angrier at that rude boy.

Incredulous at her reaction, he sneered. "I bet you're too weak to battle me! That pokemon shouldn't be with a weak trainer like you, so I'll have to take it from you!"

Sadly for the stranger, Lyra was not about to have something she risked so much for be ripped away from her. She pocketed the pokeball for safekeeping and readied herself. He advanced menacingly, but before he could do anything, the young girl balled her fists and launched her right foot straight up into his face. A sickening _crack_ was heard as blood exploded from his nose and he fell back, landing on his elbows.

"Argh!" the angry boy shouted and flung profanities all around as he held his hands up to his bleeding nose. Quickly composing himself, the boy launched himself at Lyra and tackled her to the ground. The two grappled for dominance as they rolled around in the overgrown grass.

Her bag fell off her shoulder and her hat off her head and somehow his purple hoodie came off as they struggled.

Though Lyra was much shorter than the stranger, they were matched quite equally; Lyra's speed made up for his strength. The redhead only gained an advantage when he sent his fist straight into her gut, winding her. While she struggled to recover, he straddled her, pinning her arms to the ground above her with a surprisingly strong hand.

"Geddoff me!" Lyra yelled, writhing on the ground like a newly born Caterpie.

"I dun fink so, freak." he spat, blood splattering all over her face, his only inches from hers.

His free hand patted down her pockets in search of the pokeball, violating her personal space even more than he already had. Gray eyes lit up when he felt it, but just as he was about to reach into the pocket to retrieve it, Lyra threw her face up to meet his, and, in desperation, slammed her lips into his bloody ones.

The boy's eyes turned to discs and he shoved her away, scooting back to get as far away as quickly as possible. He could not mask the surprise and confusion he felt and was not able to stop her from jumping up and throwing a fist in the air triumphantly.

"Hah! Take that, creep!" Lyra exclaimed before ramming her knee straight into his nose, causing the blood to flow even more freely. He fell back and she took that opportunity to collect her hat and bag and even his hoodie, not even feeling bad about the fact she was stealing for a second time that day.

_He doesn't deserve to wear a jacket!_ she reasoned before running off.

"He-Hey! Come back here, jacket feif!" he called after her, struggling to get up.

But Lyra only stopped quickly to stick her tongue out at him, laughing as she ran away into the bushes.

* * *

_Obviously I don't know what I'm doing. Lyra is a freak and stole that move from 'Get Smart' the 2008 movie. __Sorry if the line breaks don't show up._

Is this a Pokemon fanfic? I can't tell since there aren't actually any Pokemon in it.

_Let me know how I'm doing so far? I'd appreciate comments on their personalities._


	3. sex offender

Still breathing heavily after her little getaway, the pigtailed thief rested her weight against a large, shady tree not far from Dark Cave. With the mid-afternoon sun having bared down on her as she ran, Lyra greatly appreciated the cover of the tree.

Slumping against the trunk, she slid until her butt hit the ground. The swiped hoodie was quickly discarded on the ground beside her. Having no idea why she took it other than to spite that awful boy, Lyra inspected it. Its dark purple hue was reasonably pleasant to look at and the pockets seemed to be pretty deep, a feature that was most likely very useful. She checked both of those pockets, not expecting to find anything. The first only had an old pen with an R engraved on it; she quickly tossed it aside. "Booooring."

Surprise was etched all over her face when she pulled out his wallet from the other pocket.

_Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit. Who the hell leaves a wallet in a jacket pocket? Don't these things go in pants?!_ she thought frantically as she rummaged through the wallet, pulling out most of the bills and tucking them into her pocket (she had already done a lot of bad crap that day, why not indulge a bit more?) and taking time to look at the only card in it, his trainer ID. Maybe she could find some contact information; somewhere, _anywhere_ to leave the damn wallet.

"Seriously? Isn't Silver a metal?" Lyra questioned, legitimately confused. What a strange name. And the ID itself was strange too; it seemed to be new, only issued a few days earlier, but it was somehow different from the ones Kris and Ethan received. The colors didn't match Johto's flag. Was this from another region?

Dismayed there was no registered address, she shoved the ID back into one of the wallet flaps and, along with the old pen, stored it in the purple jacket's pocket. Leaving the jacket there didn't seem like a good idea, so Lyra folded it neatly and placed it at the bottom of her bag. It wasn't a bad jacket and she'd forgotten to take one with her that morning anyway.

It was only a few hours ago she had made such a bold move, but it already felt like an eternity. As thoughts of the morning flooded her mind, she suddenly remembered that tiny sphere nestled deep within her pocket.

A hand gingerly pulled it out, her doe eyes even larger than usual; Lyra was in awe. Lyra was in awe of the object, /no/, the life that she now held in her hand and in awe of her actions.

She could barely contain her excitement as she hurriedly pressed that little white button. A flash of red later, a relatively small creature sat on the grass in front of her, visibly confused. The fur on top it's head was tussled and had an overall scruffy appearance, and the embers on its back glowed softly.

Lyra stiffened. "Cyndaquil? I nabbed a Cyndaquil?! This is amazing!" Suddenly she was flailing about, completely unable to contain squeals of joy.

The fire mouse was more than a little peeved by her ridiculousness. A quick puff of smoke from its tiny nose caught Lyra's attention.

"Oh, are you upset? What's wrong, little dude? You _are_ a dude, right?" she paused to check quickly, leaning over to make sure his little boy parts were in fact little boy parts. The Cyndaquil squeaked and shot out a tiny fireball. Lyra yelped, barely jumping back in time to avoid the small blast heading her way. He curled up tight, embarrassed, and let out a low growl. Quickly scooting away so as not to upset him any more, Lyra waved her arms about. "Oh no! I'm sorry, little dude. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, honest! Just didn't want to get your gender wrong."

Cyndaquil uncurled slowly, considering her apology.

Taking that as a good sign, she continued. "I'm Lyra and I was hoping we could be friends. Does that sound cool?" she asked softly, shifting her position so her face was at the Cyndaquil's level.

His squinty eyes were unreadable, but his body language was, and it was saying he wasn't all that taken with her offer. This intrusive girl had just invaded his personal space and suddenly she wanted to be friends? Did she often go around checking the genitals of others before introducing herself?! He huffed angrily and turned his snout upwards.

_Why can't we just be instant bros?_ She grimaced, but quickly took into account the fact she might have just sexually assaulted the creature.

"Look, little dude, I risked a lot getting you. I'm sorry if you were embarrassed a second ago and all and that was probably a pretty bad first impression," she paused to smirk as his head turned towards her, clearly not in agreement with the "probably" in her last statement, before holding out her hand, "but I've got a feeling we could be really close if we could move past my potential sex offender status."

Cyndaquil was amused by the acknowledgement of her wrongdoings, and she /did/ apologize. He took a few tentative steps towards her, slowly closing the gap between them until his tiny paw touched her hand.

Lyra retracted her hand cautiously and gave a thumbs up to her new partner. Recalling Ethan's stories of nicknaming his pokemon, she wondered if she might give Cyndaquil.

"I should probably call you something other than Cyndaquil, right?"

He shugged. Lyra pursed her lips, thinking hard. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she smiled wide.

"Right, I've got it! You'll be Midas, because everything we touch'll turn to gold!"

The scruffy creature showed no opposition to the name, but he didn't seem to understand why on earth she had chosen it. Lyra picked up on his confusion.

"I want to take the gym challenge, see? You'd be my partner and we'd participate in pokemon battles. But, I have to tell you something first, because if this is going to work out we've got to trust each other. Don't get mad, but I kind of stole you from the lab you're from."

Midas squealed and leapt back, eyeing her carefully.

"Don't get mad please! At least I told you! And I needed to tell you because we've to start this partnership on truth since I need you to trust me. I ran away from home and I wasn't even planning to!" she blurted, her face displaying the sudden emotion she felt. As excited as she was, Lyra was feeling a bit guilty and homesick.

Relaxing a bit to give her a chance to explain, Midas plopped down on the cool grass.

Lyra continued, "See, I'm not allowed to take the gym challenge since my 'rents are way overprotective, but I can't always listen to them, and they're barely ever home anyway! They don't get that I just want to get away from everything and be awesome on my own." She sniffled a bit, all the hurt from the past few months resurfacing. Wiping her nose with palm, Lyra looked away, her pigtails drooping as if they were tied to her emotional state.

"So, the only way to get away was to run away and steal a pokemon. If I'll be taking that challenge on with you as my partner, _if_ you want to be my partner, I figure we'll be blazing a trail an' all. I know it didn't end too great for the Midas with all his turning things to literal gold, but I've got a feeling we'll work all this out! Together, we can overcome anything, especially if we trust each other, yeah?" she turned back towards him, a warm smile on her face, "Whuddaya say? Partners?"

Midas appeared to be deep in thought. The girl, Lyra, had an interesting story and seemed really heartfelt about everything she had said. The lab he'd come from was safe, but there was no fun in living in complete safety. Their eyes locked, his squinty ones on her big browns, and he knew that even though she hadn't proven her trustworthiness yet, she would prove to at least be an interesting companion.

He waddled over to her and nodded a few times then cheekily blew a puff of smoke into Lyra's face. The new partners shared a laugh, Lyra's mood improving quickly.

Midas was ready to stand by her and fight in battles, so he gave her a curt yelp before scurrying off, as if to say "Hurry then, can't waste time if we're going to do this!"

Already Lyra loved her pokemon. He was more than just a tool that would help her fulfill a goal; Midas had personality. Getting up to follow him, she couldn't help but guffaw at the small creature. "Midas," she called, slinging her bag over her shoulder, "the first gym is the /other/ way!"

Immediately turning around, he acted as if no mistake had been made at all, earning him a few more laughs from Lyra. The two walked side by side down Route 31, just off the deserted road.

"So we can train a bit. Gotta be ready for than first gym battle, right?" she asked idly, paying more attention to the sights rather than his answer. Lyra knew he would be alright with her suggestion after the enthusiasm he'd displayed earlier. She suddenly remembered a very important detail of her meeting with Silver.

"Midas, I think I'm more of a sex offender than I realize!"

He looked up at her, concern written all over his adorable face.

"Yeah, I know. Not good, huh? So some kid was trying to steal you from me and we ended up fighting! I got him good, right in the nose, but at one point he pinned me down and almost had you," she stopped and peeked at Midas from the corner of her eye to see if he was listening. Satisfied with the interested expression he held, Lyra continued, "I had to geddim off, so I kissed him! Totally surprised that weirdo. Then I kneed him in the nose! Might've broken it, actually."

Midas stared up in awe, surprised by the levels of badassery she claimed to have.

She continued nonchalantly, but was secretly glad he was impressed, "Anyway, I kind of took his jacket before I ran away...and it /might/ have had his wallet in it. That part was an accident, I swear. Just be on the lookout for angry looking teen-age boys with ridiculously red hair, alright? His name's Silver."

Lyra noticed the disapproving look she was getting. "Oh, don't give me that. He doesn't deserve that jacket. But don't worry, stealing isn't a habit of mine. Promise!"

Midas wasn't sure whether to believe that or not, but he knew now for sure that his new trainer was a fascinating creature.

* * *

The cave was dark and a foul stench hung in the air. "Is this r-really necessary, sir?" a boy, barely old enough to be considered a legal adult, stammered, uncomfortable in the presence of his superior.

The man he had addressed didn't even bother to look at him when he answered, "This? Why, 'course it is. This funds our organization, kid. These," he gestured to the crates around him, "sell for so much overseas. May seem gruesome, but believe me, it makes a /world/ of difference. You understand, right?" His tone light and body language playful as he rocked back and forth on his heels.

The boy nodded furiously, feeling a bit more at ease, "Y-yes sir! I was just feeling a bit guilty since it seems so cru-"

He trailed off, any comfort he had just felt washed away. The man had turned to face him, and while he did not tower over the boy at all, his piercing green eyes were terrifying. Cold and hard, the two orbs were a contradiction of the man's demeanor. He might have seemed lighthearted and playful, but he was just what the boy worried about; he was cruel.

"That's what makes it all so fun, so just _try_ to have some fun," he hissed in a dangerously low voice.

Nodding furiously again, the boy responded, "Oh, yes...sir! I'll uh, be sure to do that!"

This was convincing enough for him, and suddenly he seemed a lot less sinister. "Great! Now," the man paused, smiling a crooked coyote smile as he ran a gloved hand through his minty hair, "we've got some tails in need of cutting..."

* * *

_Now what the hell am I supposed to do with you?_ Lyra peered down at the speckled egg, seriously questioning why anyone would leave such a fragile life in her hands. The cyndaquil at her feet was asking the very same question, especially after witnessing her ruthlessness towards the wild pokemon they encountered. She wanted to be ready for the first gym, but they may have gone a bit overboard with the training.

Other than Lyra's bloodlust, though, everything had been going pretty smoothly up until they reached the gate of Violet City. The pair had been about to enter when Lyra claimed she was hearing cries for help. Midas was in disbelief of course, but he humored her by accompanying her into the thick overgrow.

All he remembered after that was the brilliant flash of light. According to Lyra they'd emerged in a tiny clearing with an egg at the very center. Next thing he knew they were back at the gate and the egg was resting safely in her bag. She told him it wouldn't have been right to leave some defenseless egg in there but that she didn't want to keep it; they could give it away to someone in Violet. As soon as they entered the city grounds, Lyra set off to find someone to take the egg.

Her efforts proved to be in vain. Who would take an egg from some dirty girl? Despondent, Lyra approached one last woman. She seemed kind enough to not refuse, and Lyra had high hopes; she was getting tired of lugging the egg around. The woman introduced herself as Zuki and had been very curious as to where the egg was from. Lyra quickly told the story.

"What? A light?!" Zuki gasped.

"Look, I know it's probably hard to believe, but it happened! I just can't take care of it. Promise it's not a bad egg though! Not that that would matter since it's free." She held the egg out.

The woman only shook her head and pushed it away. "No, I'm sorry, child, but I cannot. This is important. You must keep it safe. Trust me when I say it was meant for you."

Zuki had left after that, mumbling something about "a sign of the return" leaving Lyra and Midas thoroughly confused.

"You'd think at least one person would take the egg. Whatever, guess we'll have a new teammate when this thing hatches," she sighed, "It's getting late, dude. Let's just try to get a room at the Pokemon Center. I hope they don't need a trainer card. I'll have to make something up."

Exhausted, the pair set off towards the Center. Cold air nipped at Lyra's bare forearms, so she put the stolen purple jacket on.

At least she had Silver's card, but she realized a lack of her own would soon catch up to her. No Pokemart would sell her anything without one. How would she catch other pokemon without pokeballs? What if Midas were to be seriously injured on the road? She'd need potions. She sighed heavily once again as they entered the big doors.

Lyra picked up Midas gingerly and waited in line patiently, preparing herself to make up some lie about having lost her trainer card. She was not paying attention to anything in the room, and so she failed to notice the boy in front of her with his overly red hair. Midas began to squirm about, trying to catch his trainer's attention, but Lyra hushed him. Only when the boy in front yelled at the poor nurse did she look up and see his hair, but her mind was too tired to fully comprehend what it meant.

"-one stole it!" he hissed, causing the battered woman behind the counter to flinch as she struggled to respond.

Personally, Lyra was angered by the boy's rude behavior. She jabbed his shoulder roughly, prepared to give him a good, long lecture about not being an asshole.

"What?!" Silver barked, whirling around.

Realization struck the both of them.

"Shit!" Lyra exclaimed, suddenly very alert. Her handiwork was evident on his bruised face and a bit of blood was crusted under his nose.

The boy's face contorted in rage. _She's wearing my jacket!_ But before he could demand she return it she had scrambled out the door, _his_ jacket flapping about behind her.

"Hey! **Get back here**!" Silver boomed as he dashed out the doors after her.

* * *

_Well, shit, it's been a few weeks. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. Most of it has been done for quite a while but I wasn't sure how to finish it off, honestly. The random bit in the center is something I really wanted to put in but I'm not sure how well it fits!_

Let me know how it is?

You should probably get ready for another SilverxLyra scuffle and more sexual assault next chapter. I really didn't intend to play on Lyra's sex offender status like I am BUT HERE IT IS.

**I'm taking a break on this one for a while. I've sort of forgotten where I want it to go and I lost the word doc with the story on oops. Once I'm on vacation I'll probs take da time to go through it and correct any awkwardly worded sentences. justfuckingcleanitallupchafeel**


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